Thats correct..the demo is now out. Contains some of the early lvls plus one from later on in the game. You can grab it from all the regular sites like ATI and Worthplaying. Its about 700 megs and you need a STEAM account to play it.

I was hoping they'd handle the demo like the demo Uplink for the original Half-Life. In it, they basically gave you original content that was actually very fun. I just replayed it about a week before HL2 came out. It would have been cool to have a HL2 side-story to give people a feel for what the game was like.

Thats correct..the demo is now out. Contains some of the early lvls plus one from later on in the game. You can grab it from all the regular sites like ATI and Worthplaying. Its about 700 megs and you need a STEAM account to play it.

I thought you were joking when you wrote that you need a Steam account to play the demo, then I went to see if a demo was really out- and yup, you need a Steam account for the demo. :roll: Unbelievable!

Why is it unbelievable? Since the game requires an internet connection, and the demo is only available online, there's no reason for them to spend the time/resources disconnecting the demo version from their online deployment. Plus, if there are any patches it can be applied to all clients. <shrug>

It's their bat, their ball, and their diamond. You don't have to play; complaining about it isn't going to change the game.

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

Except that Zekester and his $55 aren't alone. I haven't bought Half-Life 2 either because of Steam. My main gaming laptop doesn't have access to the internet so there's no way I could active Half-Life 2 on it. Not that I'm bashing Valve, but they should have taken into consideration just how many computers there are out there without internet access. Maybe even take Microsoft's route with windows xp and require either an internet registration or calling their 800 number to register your serial. Having it "online only" though, IMO, really is a way to lose potential (and existing) customers.

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"A gladiator does not fear death. He embraces it. Caresses it. Fucks it. Every time he enters the arena, he slides his cock into the mouth of the beast."

Why is it unbelievable? Since the game requires an internet connection, and the demo is only available online, there's no reason for them to spend the time/resources disconnecting the demo version from their online deployment. Plus, if there are any patches it can be applied to all clients. <shrug>

It's their bat, their ball, and their diamond. You don't have to play; complaining about it isn't going to change the game.

There's no reason they couldn't offer the equivalent of an offline mode Half Life 2 demo(once activated, it CAN be played offline right?), stripped down in the same manner that it is now. In other words, create the demo, pre-activate it, then release in all the usual places and ways(such as bittorrent). Unless someone's gonna try and tell me that pre-activating it would suck up too many man hours :roll:

Basically, the only extra time they would have to spend over what they have spent already for this current demo is the time to pre-activate it, and they frickin' OWN Steam so how hard and/or timeconsuming can that be?

If they did it that way, all us nonbelievers can play it and maybe be tempted to join the darkside and buy the game, Steam or no Steam. If I felt they were making an effort to meet me halfway(like at least offering an offline demo), I'd go for it.

As it is now, I'm even less inclined to buy the game than before, because they want to make me jump hoops even to play the DEMO! It's a frickin' DEMO. they should be doing whatever they can to get everyone possible(like me) to play the demo, it could only help their cause(making money).

Yes, it is their choice and they have the right to make it, I'm not disputing that. I'm only pointing out that there's at least 3 people in this thread alone that aren't buying the game because of those pointless choices. I say pointless because as we all know, the game is downloadable anyways like every other game.

Well duh - that goes without saying. I'm sure Valve weighed the value of Steam and the potential lost sales, and determined the loss of a relatively few number of purchases was worth it. And considering how many people *have* accepted the Steam method, they made the right decision. People can complain about it and refuse to buy the game, but I don't think Valve is too worried.

Surgeon General's Warning: Why do we have to argue about Steam every time a HL2 thread is posted? HL2 requires Steam. Due to this requirement you refuse to buy it. Why waste time reading/posing about this in every HL2 thread that comes up? Spend your energy writing Valva a letter explaining why they are losing your money. Please!

I'm not targeting anybody. Didn't even bother looking at your names. Just curious why every single HL2 thread must always degenerate into an argument over Steam?

I would also like to note that I respect that you have taken a stand and will not support Valve due to the Steam requirement.

HOT TIP: Steam is less intrusive/dangerous than simply browsing the internet.

NEWS FLASH: That's not the point.

I'd say its a very good point. Considering all the stuff people put up with computers and other stuff in their life to see the amount of complaining about STEAM is just absurd. People want to make it out like the software will destroy your OS, burn out your hardware, and give personal information to Valve so they can sell it to people who will then destroy your credit.

It's their bat, ball and diamond?That's a totally ridiculous statement.No offense, Purge, but last I checked they were a company trying to make money.

...and they still haven't got mine, even though i want to give it to them. All they need to do is eliminate the Steam requirement.

Who OWNS the rights in the AUP & EULA? The company. Who OWNS the licensed software? The company.Who OWNS the authentication server that allows you to play? The company.

Bat. Ball. Diamond. This is how I see it: you can either play, or go home.

They have one of the most anticipated games from the past 3 years. They could have smeared crap all over each disk; the game would have made money regardless. I respect the fact that they are producing a quality product and taking steps to ensure both the experience, and their IP, is protected. Since they've done this (successfully, if not with a few bumps on the way) it's going to pave the way for new games. They also routed the retailers attempts to sell the game early; a sticking point with most software developers.

Remember, they already suffered once with theft of HL2 IP. Did you expect any less? The whining (internet generalization, not targeting you ) about online authentication is a waste of one's time. They decide the product they're going to release; our input on it is NOT taken into consideration.

If the fear of internet connectivity or registering your game is your concern, then I guess you're not going to play the game; or you're going to ask a friend to let you play theirs, or you're going to commit an act of theft and obtain the software illegally. <shrug>

I've accepted this change; I've voted with my remote, as it were. So have you, and I respect your decision to do so. I just don't understand the expectation that the demo of the retail would be any different.

[edited to remove the abrasive tones, and some speeling. Err, spelling ]

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

As it is now, I'm even less inclined to buy the game than before, because they want to make me jump hoops even to play the DEMO! It's a frickin' DEMO. they should be doing whatever they can to get everyone possible(like me) to play the demo, it could only help their cause(making money).

I agree that the demo should be as accessible to the public as possible; the only reason I can think that they didn't want to go that way is this :

Product A_RETAIL has set system requirements (internet connectivity being one)Product A_DEMO should have the same requirements, as to not create a false perception of product A_RETAIL.

I know from my past few posts people may think I'm a steam supporter; I'm not. I'm indifferent to it, and if we're going to get online software distribution it's the next logical step. Hell, apps have been doing this for years (online registration to unlock full versions).

There is one other option: Half-Life 2 is supposed to be coming out for the next console system(s) ?

As to the 3 people here who haven't purchased HL2 yet: do you think if HL2 was released in a season not so glutted with A+ titles that you would have already purchased Half-Life2? I dunno, something to think about.

I'm finding it easy to ignore titles I would have normally purchased based on the fact that I already have more games than I can reasonably play.

PS - Using Windows XP as an example is pretty bad; Windows XP is likely the current most-pirated-software. I'm sure the percentages are less than the previous iterations due in no small part to activation and registration schemes, however it's not hard to find copies of XP. For reference, I own my Windows XP Pro (got it through the MS corp. partner deal for ~69US, full version, non-upgrade)

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"If it weren't for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we'd still be eating frozen radio dinners." - Johnny Carson

Okay, I played the demo. And it actually convinced me that Half-Life 2 isn't worth buying now. Maybe I'll buy it for $10 someday, but I wasn't all that impressed with the demo. I don't know why - the graphics are gorgeous, the physics engine is nice... but for some reason I feel like it doesn't fit together too tightly... the game sort of feels... loose. It's hard to explain. I don't hate the game at all mind you, but it's not worth the hassle with Steam AND $55 right now. I have the exactly same feeling with the original Half-Life. Plus I hate Steam. Thanks demo for saving me $50!

i too have held off on buying this game due to the Steam activation. i realize this is probably the way of the future, but it doesn't mean i have to pay full price on this. i'll wait until it drops below $20.